Proud of Your Girl
by Andi88
Summary: Emma still isn't used to having people in her life that she actually wants to make proud. But even though she's trying, she knows that her past isn't anything to be proud of. No longer a one-shot. :)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N So, this is my very first OUAT fic! The welcome party can start now! ;) It's also my first songfic…therefor possibly not the best way to introduce myself here, but the idea got in my head and I couldn't get it to leave me alone. So here ya go.**

**The song is Proud of Your Boy by Alan Menken, deleted from Disney's Aladdin. It was replaced by One Jump Ahead (Reprise). In it, Aladdin is singing to his deceased mother, apologizing for what he's done, and promising that he'll do better. It's a really sweet song, and I thought it fit well with how Emma might be feeling about her parents and her past. So I changed a few of the lyrics to make it come from Emma, obviously. If you've never heard the song, I recommend you look it up on youtube!**

**Disclaimer: s are silly because if I owned anything, I wouldn't be here, now would I? Lol.**

**Now, without further ado…**

**Proud of Your Girl**

_Proud of your girl,_

_I'll make you proud of your girl,_

_Believe me, bad as I've been, Mom,_

_You're in for a pleasant surprise._

I've always been the first to admit that I wasn't the most, well, easy child growing up. When I was little I threw tantrums. And I don't mean just crying, I mean full-out kicking, screaming, biting, throwing of expensive vases tantrums.

Okay, maybe some of that carried into adulthood. A little.

I was always in trouble, being brought home by the police, complained about by neighbors, constantly in the principal's office. All that before I was eight.

But even though I can't say I have ever been exactly _proud_ of being such a trouble-maker, it never bothered me before. I mean, so I was bad, so what? Look where I came from! Shuffled from foster home to foster home, one lousier than the last. What chance did I have?

It never bothered me before. So why does it now?

_I've wasted time._

_I've wasted me._

_So say I'm slow for my age, a late bloomer,_

_Okay I agree,_

_That I've been one rotten kid,_

_Some daughter, some pride and some joy,_

_But I'll get over these lousin' up, messin' up, screwin' up times._

"Emma?"

The breathy, almost hesitant call made me jump, and I dropped a few of the papers I had been holding. I craned my neck to see Mary Margaret - no, I had to keep reminding myself that wasn't her name - Snow White, peering at me through the thin light of the end table lamp. She clutched her flowery robe tighter against her and rubbed sleep from her eyes. I smiled at the way her ebony pixie cut stuck up in all directions much like Henry's did in the morning. Figures, fairy tales always leave out the more interesting details about their characters. Like morning hair.

"Sorry," I whispered. "Did I wake you up? I didn't realize how late it'd gotten. Go on up back to bed, I'll clean this up."

Instead of that, Snow padded to the kitchen and poured herself some of the hot chocolate I had already made and stuck the mug in the microwave. She tapped on the window and glanced at me. "Add this to the list of things I love about _this _world."

When her cocoa was heated, she crossed the room and sat beside me on the couch. "Can't sleep?" she asked, trying to nonchalantly peek at the file and papers in my lap. Emphasis on _trying._

I shrugged. "I was just...uh...looking at some stuff, and got absorbed, I guess. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Oh no, you didn't wake me. Charming did, tossing and turning."

"Nightmares, huh?"

She smiled sadly. "They're already starting to fade, and he likes to pretend that they don't affect him."

"So does Henry. He says his necklace keeps him from being scared, but I think he's just trying to be macho," my heart breaks again at the thought of my little boy trapped in that nightmare, all because of what I did. Or didn't do, as the case may be.

Snow nodded in understanding, and I could tell she was fighting her own guilt over her husband. "Charming tried talking me into letting him sleep on the couch or floor, but nooo, I said. I want you with me, I said," she winked at me to let me know that her sarcasm was playful. "But anyway, what are you looking at?"

I chuckled at her perseverance and looked at the manila folder in my hands. A part of me, the old, walled up Emma, wanted to hide the folder and tell my best friend that it was nothing. But the other part of me, the mother, daughter, and so-called savior I was trying hard to become screamed at me to let my mother in, and not hold back.

The new Emma won, a miraculous victory, and I handed over the folder. "It's uh...well, it's me."

Snow opened the folder anxiously and I watched as her eyes immediately landed on the newspaper clipping that cried "Deadbeat Parents". But her fingers stroked the face of little baby me and tears sprang to her eyes.

"My God, Emma, you were so beautiful. I thought so the first time I saw this, too."

"You saw it before?"

Snow's face flushed and she looked at me with wide, guilty eyes. "I didn't mean to! It was on the table one day not long after you moved your things in. I thought it was mine, some tests to grade, I swear once I realized it wasn't I closed it!" she turned her face away, and peered at me from the corner of her eyes, the way she always does when she thinks that she's about to make me angry. "But maybe I looked at this article. For a minute. Or two."

"Relax," I said, laughing, "I'm not mad. If I hadn't have trusted you, believe me I wouldn't have left it lying around.

She lit up at "trusted you" and went back to happily looking at the gritty picture of me. "A seven year old boy found you? What ever happened to him?"

I shrugged, not willing at that moment to reveal the truth about August. Once Henry broke it to me that Snow and Charming had been lied to about the wardrobe, I had been afraid to break it to them. Mostly for the sake of August, who was MIA at the moment anyhow, his father, Archie, and Blue. I wasn't mad at them, not really. Geppetto just wanted to take care of his kid, just like Snow and me. I knew Snow and Charming would have to forgive them eventually, but I just wanted to make sure they didn't banish them first.

But Snow wasn't pursuing the subject, instead she was gasping at the other picture of me in the file. "Aww, look at your little pigtails! Oh, Emma, you look just like your father! Except of course, you have my chin."

"I was five in that picture," I explained. "Mrs. Raskin was trying to get me to look all cute for a new family that was coming to pick out a kid."

"Mrs. Raskin?"

"The Raskins were house parents at group home upstate. Still are, for all I know. It was where I was placed when I was first...found. I was put in a foster home when I was three months old, with this nice family who they _thought _wanted to adopt me. The Swans."

"I always wondered where you got your last name."

I nodded. "Yeah. They were good parents, what little of them I remember. But right about the time he lost his job, she found out she was pregnant, and they decided that they couldn't afford _two _kids. So they sent me back to the Raskins'."

"Oh Emma," Snow said, looking as if she wanted to hug me, but thought better of it. "How could they do that? For God's sake, you don't just give up a child when you have another one!"

"I wasn't really theirs," I reasoned. "And I wasn't exactly an easy child. I had a really bad temper, and threw a lot of tantrums."

"So what?!" now _her _temper was flaring. "So you inherited my temper! That just means you were spirited!"

I couldn't help but smile. A few months ago, the thought of sweet, mild-mannered Mary Margaret having a temper to anywhere near rival mine would have been absolutely ludicrous, but now, now I know better.

"Spirited is one way of putting it," I said, pointing to a paper in the folder.

"What's this?" she asked. "Emma is bright and intelligent, and isn't afraid of speaking her mind?"

"It's a review by one of my foster families. Wasn't ever really supposed to see it, but I snatched it out of Mr. Raskin's office. If I ran into him today, and he found out, old guy would probably still yell at me. Keep reading.

"Though Emma's strong-willed nature is to be admired, she is extremely difficult at times. She refuses to abide by bedtimes, and threw frequent fits if my husband or I attempt to discipline her. She has broken many of my antiques that I keep in the house. A list of said items will be included. She shows no respect for authority, and has appalling language, especially for a six year old. She even called me a..." Snow glanced up from the paper with raised eyebrows.

I grunted. "I learned that word from _her_."

Snow gave her head a dismissive shake and discarded the paper. "Sounds to me like she just didn't know how to care for a spirited child."

Snow's refusal to believe that my behavior was, in fact, my own fault, was a surprisingly refreshing change of pace from everyone else in my life. But still, I felt it only fair to show her the truth. That I was, simply, a terrible kid.

"Say what you want, but I realize now how hard I was to handle. Maybe if I hadn't been that way, someone would have wanted to keep me. Maybe the Swans would have," the last part I added quietly, without really meaning to.

Snow gave up her attempt to give me space and scooted closer, putting an arm around me. "I don't care what you did, Emma. Nothing, and I mean nothing you could have possibly done could have been that bad. Not you, not with the wonderful way you turned out."

_You'll see, Mom, now comes the better part,_

_Someone's gonna make good,_

_Cross her stupid heart,_

_Make good and finally make you,_

_Proud of your girl._

I met her eyes, and found nothing but love in them. A love that sometimes, like this time, was almost too much to handle. "I'm trying," I said, pulling back and hating how weak my voice sounded. "But you're not getting it," she needed to know. Once and for all, I was no princess. Never was.

"Maybe I'd get it if you told me."

I sighed. "You're asking for it."

Snow took her arm away and twisted herself around to face me, legs crossed and looking absolutely rapt, every bit like a teenager who was about to hear some juicy gossip at a slumber party. Not that I'd ever been to one. Once again I was struck by how _young _my mother was. She may have been technically pushing sixty, and aside from that had been forced to grow up fast, both back then in her world, and today, trying to be a parent to a 28-year-old cynic, but often I was reminded that Snow had a very young soul. She was still naive, still idealistic, and even though she was at least physically the same age as me, I often felt _much _older.

Except of course for the times when she was saving my stupid ass from ogres and pirates and such. Those were times I felt very much like a child. Her child.

"After the Swans, I went back to the Raskins until I was five," I began. "You see how that turned out. After them was Mrs. White."

Snow's eyes flew open. "Mrs. _White_?!"

I laughed. "You know, I never even thought of that? How funny would it have been if _she _had been my first family?"

Snow laughed too. "You could have been Emma White! That's okay, I like Swan. It's kinda like "Snow" jumbled up...only with an A instead of an O...never mind. You were saying?"

Mrs. White was...actually she was probably my favorite family. She was African American and completely no nonsense. If I talked back, she would smack me upside the head. Never hurt, and she didn't do it out of meanness, and somehow I always respected her. She'd tell me how smart I was, and to "stay away from them boys, got only ONE thing on their minds, they do!"

Snow smiled. "I like her."

"So did I, but it was really more of a half-way house. Mrs. White had lots of kids coming and going, mostly trouble-makers. So that's why when I left a year later, I got it in my head that if I was _really _bad, they'd send me back there, since I was good there. It didn't exactly work how I wanted. My next family was the Douglass. They couldn't have cared _less _about their foster kids, and they had four. All we were to them were paychecks. We were lucky if we even got dinner most nights. I had to learn fast that if I wanted to eat, I had to act fast because the two older boys would grab anything they could get their hands on. I started hoarding food, and stealing it from the cabinets if I got the chance, but most of it went to Eddie, who was younger than me, and otherwise probably wouldn't have gotten shit. And that's when I started shoplifting, when I was eight."

"But Emma, that wasn't your fault either! You were just trying to survive! And to feed that poor little boy!"

I shrugged, unconvinced. "I got caught my third time snatching candy bars off the shelf of the gas station. Mr. Douglas assured the clerk that if they didn't call the cops, he'd take care of me. And take care of me he did."

Snow's eyes went wide with fear. Oh God, if only she knew. "What did he do?"

"Nothing that terrible, don't panic. Just beat me, and good, with his belt," I didn't tell her of the verbal abuse that accompanied the beating. _You good for nothing piece of SHIT! What the hell is the matter with you?! We give you a home, food, and toys and this is how you repay us?! Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?! Hope you don't think you're gettin' dinner tonight!_

Snow looked angry, then sad, but waited for me to continue.

"They were embarrassed by me, so they sent me back. I hated myself for it," I took a deep breath, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me. "I never did find out what happened to Eddie. Poor kid. But that didn't stop me from shoplifting; I just got better at it. At first it was just food, even though my next family, The O'Malleys, fed me just fine, I was still afraid of not having enough. But when I turned nine, I fell into a group of some rough kids in the neighborhood, all older than me, and started lifting other things like jewelry, clothes, and cassette tapes, just because I wanted to. The girls in the group all dressed way provocatively, so I started to, too. Started smoking, drinking..."

"At _nine years old_?" Snow asked, incredulous. There. That did it. Now she'd see how shameful I'd been.

"Yep. One day we got picked up by the police for loitering. I flipped them off, and became an instant legend in the neighborhood. The others got arrested, but I was just taken home. Baby Badass, is what they called me. I loved it."

Snow looked down at her hands. I could tell she was ashamed. But hey, I'd started, may as well finish her off.

"When I moved into a new home, I stayed in the area, so I kept my friends on into middle school. I snuck out every night, and we'd hang out in the basement of one kid's dad's bar. I first used drugs when I was thirteen. That was also when I lost my..."

I froze; I hadn't meant to tell her _that _detail. No mother needs to know the story of her daughter's lost virginity. But it was too late.

"Your virginity? When you were thirteen? Oh Emma..." she looked like she was about to cry.

I barreled through. "He was 15. His name was..." I groaned, remembering suddenly his name. "Oh God..."

"What?"

I buried my face in my hands. "Oh no. My first boyfriend's name was James!"

Snow smirked. Wait, I just told her about losing my virginity and using drugs at thirteen and she can smile? Where was the shame? "If it makes you feel any better, Hon, remember, your father's name isn't _really _James. But you didn't uh...date a David, did you?"

Okay, that did break the tension. "No, thank goodness. James dumped me a few months later for some other girl. I refused to be crushed like most girls were after their first breakup, and instead stole his father's car, crashed it into a mailbox, and let him take the blame."

I waited for her to show some sign of shock, but she only nodded as if that had been a most appropriate revenge! What the hell?!

"He deserved it. Little prick, taking my baby's maidenhood..."

"Maidenhood?" I burst out with a guffaw, then clapped my hand over my mouth, remembering the sleeping boy a few yards away. When I was assured that he was still snoring, I continued more quietly. "You're back in the Enchanted Forest, there. And wait...did you just say _prick_?!"

Snow blinked innocently. "You were saying?"

I stared at her a moment, not believing I hadn't snapped her yet, so I kept going. "Well, you'll be happy to know I swore off guys for a while after that."

She nodded. "I am happy to know that. How long...um...how long did you use..."

"Drugs?"

She nodded, clearly more uncomfortable with this subject than my "maidenhood".

"I didn't, I mean, I experimented with them a bit then, and then again in high school, just some speed and X, but I didn't like what it did to me, what it did to others, so I stopped. I did however smoke quite a bit of pot. My entire freshmen year of high school was spent high."

Snow furrowed her brow. She didn't like this. Maybe because things like stealing, cursing, and sex were things that just as easily could have happened in their world, but drugs weren't. That I knew of.

"That kind of phased away, especially after I saw what it did to peoples' teeth. I still made good grades in high school. See?"

I picked up a stack of report cards I'd kept, just a handful from 6th grade on. Snow looked through them.

"Emma, these are excellent. But, then I knew you were smart!"

I gave a half smile. "Truth was, school was too easy for me, too boring. I dropped out my junior year."

"You _what_?!" this time, she was the one who had to check her volume.

I hung my head. "When I turned sixteen, I left the foster system, and dropped out of school so I could work. Got my GED later on. Couldn't hold a job though, I guess I didn't have the best people skills. So I started stealing again. Mostly food, but also things that I could pawn. I picked pockets, broke into cars, but I had been almost caught on more than one occasion and I just knew it was only a matter of time before I was caught for real. I wanted to get away, go to a new town, so I got it in my head to steal a car. My biggest theft ever.

"And...did you?"

I hesitated. Did I want to go into this part of my life yet? I glanced at the curtain that hid what used to be Mary Margaret's bedroom, now mine and Henry's, from view. I couldn't see him, but I could hear Henry's steady breathing. I had already glazed over some of the worst parts of my life. Like the foster mother who drank constantly and sent me to the hospital multiple times with everything from a broken arm to cigarette burns, or the foster father who was nice at first...until the first time showed up in my bedroom at night. Those were things I just couldn't handle telling her yet. I would, one day. One day she, and possibly David, would know the horrific things I endured. Not because they _needed _to know, honestly I'd rather they didn't have to shoulder that burden, but they would get it out of me. Eventually. But tonight, tonight was just about me, and the bad things _I _did. Not they bad things monsters did.

_Tell me that I've been a louse and a loafer,_

_You won't get a fight here, no maim._

_Say I'm a goal-breaker, goof-off, no good,_

_But that couldn't be all that I am._

_Water flows under the bridge,_

_Let it pass, let it go,_

"Sort of," I began, with a small shake of my head to clear out the other stuff.

"Sort of?"

I chuckled. "See, there was this old yellow Voltzwagon Bug, just sitting all alone in a deserted alleyway..."

Of all things to do whilst I tell of my criminal days, my mother laughing was not one of the things I thought she'd do. "Emma, your bug?! You stole that?"

Her laugh was contagious. "Well, actually, no! I mean, yes, I stole it, but I stole it from a guy who had already stolen it!"

Snow was having a hard time keeping herself from laughing to loud. "What?!"

For the first time, I realized how funny this story actually was, when I wasn't thinking of the lousy outcome. I scooted closer to Snow and mirrored her pose on the couch, so that our knees were touching. Interesting how that one little touch was so comforting.

"When I jacked the car, this...guy popped up in the backseat. Scared the SHIT outta me! He had been sleeping back there. I was so startled, that I ran a stop sign and got pulled over. He spun some stupid-ass story and got us out of it, that's when I realized that the car was already stolen. By him."

Snow shook her head, still smiling. "That's amazing! So what happened, how did you end up with the car?"

"Well...we uh...kind of teamed up after that. We had a lot in common. He was a petty thief who grew up in the system too. We had this crazy Bonnie and Clyde act going. I'd stuff a backpack under my shirt and pretend to be pregnant, and while he distracted the cashier, I'd pack it full of stuff. One day, we almost got caught, so I pretended to go into labor, and we got away!" I was absolutely amazed how much I actually enjoyed telling Snow all this. "That's where I got this," I showed her my Swan necklace. "It was a keychain. Neal stole it for me."

Snow gently touched my swan. "This...Neal. He meant something to you, didn't he?"

I swallowed and nodded, closing my hand around her hand, which held the necklace.

"What happened to him?"

I looked away. "Same thing that happened to every guy, he turned out to be a dick. He conned me into retrieving some stolen watches he had hidden somewhere. Made me believe that with the money from them, we'd start a new life, free of crime, together. But he set me up. He got away scott free, and I got 11 months in jail."

Snow squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry, Em. You loved him," it wasn't a question.

I nodded.

Suddenly Snow gasped. "Emma...was he..."

I blinked back some annoying tears and nodded again, staring at the curtain to my bedroom. "He never knew. I found out I was pregnant in jail. I tried to find him when I got out, but couldn't. The last I heard of him, he sent me the keys to the Bug, with a new VIN number to make it legal, but no note, nothing."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, now you know. You know what a stupid crook I was. You know that Henry was born in prison. You know that my car is stolen. You know that I smoked pot, and was a little slut and that..."

"Emma!" Snow exclaimed. Her eyes were burning. Was this finally it? Did she see what a messed up kid I was? Still was? "First of all, don't you ever, EVER call yourself a slut or anything like that EVER again! You know what I know? I know you had a hard life. I will never forgive myself for the life you had to leave because of something you had no control over. But you act like the things you did were unforgiveable! Honey, I stole! I was a thief, that's how I met your father. I drank, before Regina banished me, I'd sneak into her supply of cider. I'm not entirely sure what pot is, but it kind of sound like this plant that the Dwarfs smoked, and let me, too, even though it "wasn't for ladies", they said."

My eyes must have been saucers. "You really did all that?"

Snow chuckled. "Yes! Do you think I should be ashamed of you? Emma, I'm _proud _of you!"

Now the tears did come. Dammit. "Proud? How can you be proud?"

"I'm proud of what you have _become_. Despite all the odds being against you, you have become the most courageous, selfless, caring, wonderful person I have ever known. And before you say anything, I thought that long before the curse broke! You're loyal and honest, you fight for what you believe in and you don't let anyone push you around! You're a loving mother, and the best friend I've ever had!" Now she was crying in earnest. So was I. "You are absolutely everything I could have ever hoped for in a daughter and more! I love you, Emma, and not _just _because you're my daughter. I love you because you're you. Walls and all."

No matter how hard I tried, no matter how long I stared into her eyes, searching for a hint that she wasn't being sincere, I couldn't doubt her. Even though she knew all the rotten things I did, she still loved me more than anyone had ever loved me before. Throwing caution out the proverbial window, I through my arms around her. "I love you, too."

We hugged for what seemed like eternity. When we finally broke apart, sniffling and giggling, I realized the sun was coming up.

"Holy crap, it's morning. Mom, you should try and get some sleep!"

Snow stared at me like I had just grown an extra head before I realized what I'd said. Instead of backtracking though, I pretended like it was absolutely natural. Because it was.

"No use at this point," she said, but her eyes were sparkling and she looked like she could jump for joy. If I wasn't watching, she probably would have. She probably did, later in her room. "The boys will be up soon, begging for breakfast. Emma?"

"Yeah?"

Snow dug in the folder and pulled out the newspaper clipping of me as a baby, and the photo of me at five. "Can I keep these? I'd like to frame them. If I can hide the deadbeat parents part..."

I laughed and took the paper, unceremoniously ripping off the offending headline. "It's yours. All of it. Share them with David. Tell him...tell him whatever you think he can handle!

She wiggled her eyebrows. "Definitely not about James!"

"Oh, Lord, please no!"

"Maybe you should tell him. When you're ready. He's just as anxious to know you as I am, you know. And equally as proud. Told me so himself."

"I've never cared," I blurted.

Snow blinked. "What?"

"My behavior. With the short-lived exception of Mrs. White, I never cared what anyone thought of me, I never had to worry about disappointing anyone. I used to find that a relief, but now...now I worry all the time about screwing up. With you, with Henry, with freakin' _Storybrooke. _It's crazy, it's stressful, it's..." I shot her a watery smile. "Awesome. I _want _my parents to be proud of me. I want my son to be proud of me. I know you said you already are, and I believe you. I actually believe you. But I want to keep working on it. On letting you in, on being a good mother and a good daughter."

Snow rubbed my arm soothingly. "I know exactly how you feel. Believe me, I know what it feels like to have everyone watching you. It can be overwhelming. But you don't have to work to make me proud, Em. I just hope you can be proud of me, too."

"I am proud," I said, warmed by the realization of how true that was. "Come on, my parents are THE Snow White and Prince Charming, and not just that, you...you kick ASS! You are so much cooler than the Disney Princess I grew up knowing!"

Snow grinned, feigning smugness. "I must admit, I'm certainly less of a wimp than that other version. We're a pretty kick-ass family, huh?"

"Yeah we are," my cheeks were starting to hurt, I wasn't used to smiling this much. "I guess we'd better get breakfast started. And Mom?"

My mom beamed at the honorific once again. I could tell that I would probably need to keep it up, she was quickly getting used to it. "Yes, sweetie?"

"About this whole meeting Dad when you were a thief thing...see, I never really read Henry's book all that closely and well...I think that's a story I want to hear. And I certainly don't think his book said anything about the Dwarfs' smoking..."

_There's no good reason that you should believe me,_

_Not yet, I know,_

_But someday and soon,_

_I'll make you proud of your girl._

_Though I can't make myself stronger, or smarter, or pretty or wise,_

_I'll do my best, _

_What else can I do?_

_Since I wasn't born perfect like Dad or you._

_Mom, I will try to,_

_Try hard to make you,_

_Proud of your girl._

**A/N Thanks so much for reading! It isn't my best, and not beta-ed so mistakes are mine, but I thought it was cute. Comments are awesome. Flames roast my marshmallows. I might do a continuation with Snow's story, if there is any interest from you guys. :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thanks so much for all the awesome reviews! They inspired me, and I decided to expand into a couple of chapters, not sure how many just yet. Several of you asked for a conversation between Emma and David, and I thought that was a great idea, so here you go! This one's a little different, a little more lighthearted. I hope you like it! Snow's story will be next, but I'm debating about whether I want to keep it in Emma's perspective or switch to Snow's. I'm open to suggestion. :) Meanwhile, this is getting me by until tomorrow night! I'm really hoping for some awkward Emma/Charming bonding to happen!**

**Proud of Your Girl**

**Part 2**

Snow didn't get the chance to tell me her…rather interesting sounding story that morning. The day was beginning, and it looked to be a long one since neither of us had gotten any sleep.

I was happy about it though. In fact I had never felt better, or lighter. My mom knew things about me that NO one else knew, bad things, but instead of driving her away like I was so inexplicitly afraid of, it brought us closer. I could feel it even as we made breakfast for our boys. (Okay, SHE made breakfast, I supervised.)

We prepared for our day like we had been the past few weeks, since things had become a relative normal. You know, normal as can be in a town full of magic and rampant cartoon characters. Henry got ready for school, (he had a test that day in History. It was on the Second Ogre War. Yeah…) and David and I got ready to head to the station. I had taken back my badge, which David gladly gave, but had made him Deputy. He had done a really good job while Sheriff, and it helped in our new mixed up town to have both a Sheriff and Prince patrolling the streets.

Snow hadn't decided yet if she wanted to go back to being a teacher. Apparently for the kids, especially little girls, both memories from their old lives of idolizing Princess Snow White, and memories from their new lives of idolizing the Disney character, made for a distracting situation. She was busy anyway, planning fundraisers for citizens who'd lost their homes in the storm, helping Red with rebuilding projects, and settling old disputes that arose with recovered memories. Turns out there were a few. If Red and rest of the town have their way, she'll be elected mayor by the end of the month.

"Have a nice day everyone," Snow said as the three of us readied to head out the door. "Emma, Charming, _please _be careful."

"We will, Love," David said, embracing his wife. "I promise," they shared a look…one of those weird conversations that they somehow are able to have without talking, and kissed goodbye. Henry and I mocked them by melodramatically staring into each other's eyes.

Snow threw a dishrag at us. "Okay, you two. Henry, do you have your lunchbox?"

Henry held up said lunchbox. "Yep. Thanks, Gramma."

"Yes _maim,_" Snow corrected and gave him a quick kiss before he could pull away. As much as he adored his grandparents, he was still eleven and kisses still embarrassed him. David and I chose to respect that, but Snow got a kick out of attack kissing her grandson. Deny all he wanted, the kid loved it. "I love you."

"Yes maim," Henry rectified, wiping his cheek. "Love you, too."

Snow smiled warmly at me, her eyes saying what she wouldn't aloud in front of the others, and I realized with an odd mix of horror and happiness that I could actually _read _what the woman was conveying to me. Holy crap, is that how they do it?!

"Have a good day, Em. Be safe."

She knew I didn't like to get emotional or affectionate, _especially _in group settings. But hell with it, this was my family, and this was my mom. And I decided to make her day.

Grabbing my keys, I tried to make it look like no big deal as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her cheek a loud kiss. "I will. I love you."

I had almost ended with "mom," but I got a little shy with an audience, and Snow beamed like no one had ever beamed before. Maybe it was better to ration it out anyway.

I caught David and Henry grinning, but didn't meet their eyes as I turned for the door.

"I love you, too, sweetie," Snow called behind me, and I could hear her choking back tears. I'm sure they came after we were gone.

After we dropped off Henry at school, David and I were immediately called to find out what had broken in to Granny's pantry in the Inn. Turned out to be a raccoon. A frighteningly anthropomorphic –looking raccoon. I refused to get near the possibly rabies-infected creature, but David attempted to catch it. That wasn't gonna happen. It managed to escape with cheeks full of cookies.

"'Fraid you may have to get used to that," David said when we finally reached the station. "There were a lot of those overly smart animals back home. Looks like some of them have had their memories returned, too!"

"Ugh," I groaned. "Just when I thought Storybrooke couldn't get any weirder. I swear that damn thing was actually _laughing _at us as it ran away! Morning, Leroy."

Leroy glanced up from the cot in his cell. "Mornin'."

David smiled as he unlocked the cell. "Take it easy, Grumpy, you had quite a night last night."

Leroy grunted, but gave David a respectful nod and groggily made his way out after tipping his head to me as well. He hadn't really done anything the night before, but he tended to fall asleep in odd places when drunk, and no one wanted him to get sick sleeping outside in the cold, so his brothers would lock him up. He didn't seem to mind.

I sat at my desk, rubbing my temples and willing myself to wake up. A mug of coffee miraculously appeared on my desk.

"I think that coffee maker for the office was a good investment," David said with a smirk.

"Mmhmm," I agreed, taking a hesitant sip of this hot liquid that was like a Christmas gift to me at the moment. "Thanks."

"I noticed that Snow never came back to bed last night."

"Sorry, was there a pillow fight scheduled?"

David furrowed his brow. "A…huh?"

I smirked, not telling him that Henry had woken up one night asking what that "bumping" sound upstairs was, and if I should go see if his grandparents were okay. Mortified, yet surprisingly amused, (hey, they were young, married, and together after a long separation. Good for them,) I told him that they were probably just having a pillow fight. To stem off any more questions and to drown out any other possible sounds, I challenged him to a real pillow fight.

"Did you file that report I asked you to?" I broke in, trying not to laugh at the face he was making. It was hilarious.

David jumped to attention, shaking off his confusion. "Yeah, and I filled out the paperwork for that break-in case last week."

"You did? Thanks!" One thing I loved about having him around, he didn't mind paperwork. I hated paperwork.

David went back to his desk. The phones were surprisingly quiet, so I turned on the radio.

After a while though, he appeared again, and leaned on my desk. "Snow said you guys had a long talk last night."

Oh, so that's what he was getting at. He wanted details. Guess she hadn't given him many. "Yeah…we…uh…did."

"Did you guys ever go to sleep?"

I chuckled. "Ah, no. We kinda lost track of time."

Concern laced his features. "Maybe you should go home and take a nap, then."

I ran my hand over my head, tangling my fingers in my mess of hair. "No, I'm fine; really more coffee is all I need."

Rolling his eyes at the not-so-subtle hint, (I may or may not have been kind of milking the whole "I'm Sheriff, you're Deputy" thing,) and moved to pour me another mugful. "You sure? It's really slow today, and I don't want you making yourself sick."

I accepted the coffee gratefully but winced at the very parent-like tone. With Snow it was different. Even when she was just Mary Margaret, she had behaved very maternally toward me; doing my laundry, making sure I didn't forget a jacket. I was used to it. But it felt…odd when David acted that way. I had always loved Mary Margaret, it was impossible not to, but my feelings toward David Nolen had been…tumultuous at best.

My feelings toward Charming on the other hand, were harder to describe. I cared about him, very much in fact. He had taken such good care of my son when I was away. I heard he had even gone to face Regina, sword swinging, to get him back after she'd taken him. Turned out he was amazing leader, and the love and devotion he showed my mother was unlike any I'd ever heard of.

But as a father? Maybe because I knew Snow so well already I could accept her as my mother. But with David, his age felt so much more _obvious_ to me. That was the biggest problem. He was just so young, thinking of him as my _dad _felt…weird.

Maybe if I tried thinking of him like a big brother first…yeah, that was a little better.

"I'm really okay, David. I've pulled all-nighters on more than one occasion."

He raised one eyebrow. "That so? Probably when you were a teenager. You're not getting any younger you know!"

Oh he did NOT just pull age into this conversation! "Look who's talking, _Grampa_!"

"Hey, you're as young as you feel!"

"Right, and _I _feel fine. How do _you _feel?"

He smirked. It looked kind of familiar. "Like I'm 28. But sometimes, I really do think I feel that extra 28 years."

I smirked back. "I'd imagine so; you spent them in a coma. And don't give me that 28 crap, Mom told me you're only 27!"

His mouth dropped in indignation. "She swore she wouldn't tell you! And for your information, I'll be 28 next month!"

I rolled my eyes. "And I'll be 29. Doesn't change the fact that for all the world, I'm older than you."

His eyes softened. "And that doesn't change the fact that I still remember what it was like to hold you."

He just had to go and make it weird again. "Yeah…well…"

He must have sensed my discomfort, because he switched topics. Not that he attempted to switch it to something that _wouldn't_ make me uncomfortable. "That must have been some talk you two had."

"Why do you say?"

I looked away and smiled. "Because you just called her, Mom."

"I did?" was it already becoming that natural to me? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all.

"It's okay," he said. "She _is _your mom. I'm happy that you can call her that, I know she must be ecstatic."

I nodded the affirmative, but thought I caught something slightly off in his voice. Was it sadness? Jealousy?

I suddenly thought of what it must be like for him. He was watching Snow and I become increasingly close as mother and daughter, but his relationship with me with pretty much at a standstill. I thought that our time together at coworkers was enough for him for now, but maybe I was wrong. It made me think of when Regina was keeping Henry at arm's length from me. Near enough that I could see him, talk to him, spend time with him, but not close enough to be a mother to him. It was maddening to say the least. And here I was, doing the exact same thing to David. Keeping myself at arm's length.

I could try. I did it with Snow. It wasn't easy, but I let her in. I could do it to David, too. I was a different person now. Right? And so was he.

"We talked…about me," I said, tripping over my words.

"About you?" in all honesty, he didn't look any more comfortable with this as I did. Snow was the talker, as he often said.

"About my childhood, mostly. I was a bit of a troublemaker," and then I added quietly, "to put it mildly."

He gave that half-smile that probably won him the Charming name and hooked a nearby chair with his toe to drag closer then plopped down in it. "Can't say that's surprising."

I gasped, trying to muster some good indignation. "Hey!"

He laughed. "No, I mean with your heritage! Especially your mother. That woman could make trouble in Avalon tied to a tree in Camelot."

I arched an eyebrow. Must be a fairy tale saying. "And you?"

"Ah, well, I was a boy like any other, I guess. Before my father died and I had to take over running the farm, I about drove him crazy playing these ridiculous pranks all the time."

"That's right," I said, dredging up memories of what I'd read in Henry's book. "You weren't born a prince, were you?"

"Oh no, not even close. I was born the poor son of a shepherd. Prince James…that wasn't me. Never was," he sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I never wanted that, either. I was happy being a shepherd."

"And now?"

He smiled. "If I had never become James, I never would have been robbed by a peculiar little thief, and wouldn't have the family I have now," he leaned in closer. "And I wouldn't trade it for the world. I just don't think I'm really ruler material."

"Are you kidding? You're so good at it! And the people, they listen to you, and not because they think you're some guy named James, but because of who you are. Fair, kind, strong. Red told me about the speech you made to keep people from trying to leave. Born into it or not, I do think you were made to rule."

David stared at me for several seconds. "Wow, thanks. I'm beginning to see that in you, too."

My eyes flew wide open. "Me?" I squeaked. "Rule? Oh no, no, no, no. I'll leave that up to you and Princess Bluebird."

Wisely, David agreed to drop that particular subject. But I could see in his eyes that it wasn't forever. "Princess Bluebird? Better not let your mother ever hear you call her that!"

I snorted. "The woman _talks_ to _birds_. I've seen her do it. It's like…weird. But anyway, let's hear more about you. The book doesn't say much of anything about you before Rumpelstiltskin came into play."

He shrugged. "Not much to say, really. I lived a good life. Didn't have much, barely enough to eat some of the times, and no toys to speak of, but my parents loved me. I never had to doubt that."

I couldn't stop the twinge of envy. "At least _someone _in this family can say that," David reddened and I mentally kicked myself. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong, I didn't mean to sound bitter or anything. I'm glad you had good parents. I uh…wish I could have met them."

David smiled, easily forgiving me. "I wish so, too. My mother especially would have just loved to know you. She wanted grandchildren so badly. She had so much love to give, but she always had a sadness about her. I know now that it was guilt, over giving up my brother. I wish I could talk to her now, tell her that I understand her completely. It was so hard raising just one boy when she could barely feed him, two would have been impossible. She only wanted to give us both…"

"Your best chance," I finished. "I know," and I did. I thought back to my choice to give up Henry, and even the Swans' choice to give me up when they had another child. Maybe they, too, only wanted me to have my best chance. Thinking about it only strengthened my resolve that this time, my family would stay together. Forever. "So, when you found out that your brother had been raised by a king, were you jealous at all? That he had everything and you were brought up poor?"

"No, not really. I mean, I guess there was a minute when I wondered, why him and not me? But especially now, having known King George, I'm not sorry at all. If anything, I feel bad that James was sent away. He missed out on a wonderful family."

"Do you ever think about him?"

"All the time. He was my _twin_. Can you believe that? Growing up, never knowing that you had a _twin _out there somewhere. Looking back, I think I knew, in a way. There were times that I felt like something was…missing. I could never tell what, but sometimes I'd feel sad, for no discernible reason. I had friends, but never a best friend, you know? Like someone I could talk to about anything. Not until Snow. When I got older I thought it was just wanting to find true love, and though that was certainly part of it, I think part of it was James. I'd give anything to have known him. Hell, to have _met _him. I didn't know he existed until he was dead. I don't think he _ever _knew I existed."

I bit my lower lip, searching for something to say. Going for broke, I reached out and took his hand. His eyes lit up, and he squeezed my hand in response.

An effective end to the moment came in the form of the phone ringing. Laughing nervously, David hopped up to answer it.

"What was that, Mrs. Gosling?" he spoke into the ancient rotary. "Ah, that raccoon again, huh? Yeah, he's been making quite a bit of trouble lately. No, don't throw him scraps, that will just encourage him. Make sure you have your lid on tight at night and feed your cat inside. Staring at you through your window? He's harmless, really. Just tell him that if I catch him, he'll wind up in a cage. That should scare him off. Did it work? Good. Is there anything else I can do for you? Alright then, you too. Bye."

David meandered back to my office, thumbs in his pockets. "Man, if that raccoon is the worst offender we have today, your mother will be thrilled."

I stood up, grabbing my jacket. "Isn't that the truth? Come on, I'm hungry. Wanna buy me lunch?"

David and I made our leisurely way to Granny's. The day was sunny, but cold. I shivered, shoving my hands deeper into my pockets and wishing that I hadn't forgotten my gloves that my mother may or may not have reminded me twice not to forget.

"I have an idea," David said suddenly. I raised my eyebrows questioningly. "If you tell me something that I don't know about you, I'll tell you something that I've never told anyone. Not even Snow."

"Does my something have to be something that I've never told anyone, not even Snow?"

He shrugged. "Up to you."

I considered the proposition, scanning my brain for something that I could tell him. "Well, I guess it's only fair that no one knows my something either. What's your something, a good something, a bad something, or an embarrassing something?"

He grinned. "Not a bad something. Kind of an embarrassing something."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Okay. I'll play. You first."

"Alright. When I was a boy, one of my chores was to take wool into town once a week to sell. It was a two hour long walk, and I dreaded it so. Selling it took _forever_, and if I didn't sell it all, I'd have to take the leftovers back the next week and spend even longer hocking it. I liked going to town though, it was busy and loud, and just so different than home. I rarely had time to explore or play, though, so to me it was just such a boring day of the week. Until one day…I was standing on the corner, with my crate of wool, and across the square I was this girl."

I grinned. "A _girl_?"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "Not just any girl. She was the prettiest girl I had ever seen…up to that point, of course. She had long, dark hair, fair skin…"

"Clearly you have a type."

He chuckled. "And the biggest brown doe eyes I'd ever seen. She smiled at me, and I was in love."

"How old were you?"

"About twelve. But I swore I wanted to marry that girl, before I even knew her name!"

I chuckled. "How cute! And Snow has never heard this? She'd love it!"

He shrugged one shoulder. "Oh, she'd probably think it's adorable, but no, I've never told her. But do you want to hear the whole thing, or not?"

"Oh, that's right; you said it'd get embarrassing. Continue," I mimicked zipping my lips.

But first we got to Granny's and made our way to the counter.

"Hey guys," Ruby waved from the register. "How are things today?"

"Slow," I said. "Other than a wild raccoon at large, causing mayhem in his wake."

She rolled her eyes. "Did Granny complain about him? I told her that he was just having some fun. He spends most of his time irritating this pug that lives down the street. It's hilarious."

I shook my head. Of course Ruby would know the habits of a raccoon and his dog friend.

"Anyway," she continued. "Eating in or out?"

"Out," David said, before I could say "in."

"Why don't we just eat here?" I asked. "Not like we have much to do back at the station."

"I thought you wanted to hear the rest of my story."

"Out," I told Ruby, and ordered my usual.

"And what story is this?" Ruby asked while our food was being cooked.

"The story of David's first love," I said with a cheeky grin while David swatted my arm.

"Oh really?" she arched an eyebrow. Her eyes went back and forth between David and I while he playfully tried to hush me by covering my mouth and I pretended to beat him away. A grin spread slowly across her face and she nodded with something that looked like approval.

When we got our meals, we thanked Ruby and made our way out, more quickly this time so our food didn't get cold. When we reached the station, we spread our food out on David's desk, my grilled cheese and fries, and his burger and sweet potato fries, so that we could share.

"Alright Mr. Secrets," I said with a most un-princess-ly full mouth. "Tell me about this girl."

"Okay, so anyway, like I said, it was love at first sight. I immediately had to find out anything I could about her. Turns out she and her grandmother were moving to this small village up the mountain. It was a pretty secluded place up there, not much traffic to or from, and they were just passing through. I was devastated, and knew that if I didn't talk to her then, I might never get the chance. I was terrified though, so I just stalked this poor girl through town all day, completely neglecting my wool."

I laughed. "Well of course, this was love!"

"Of course!" he agreed with a laugh. "So anyway, I followed her, and I thought I was pretty good too, thinking she didn't notice me, until one point while her grandmother was in a shop, I lost her. She just disappeared, which was crazy because she was dressed in this brightly colored cloak, so she stuck out. My spirits fell, until I was grabbed roughly from behind and pulled into an alley."

"By a little girl?"

"Yes, by a little girl, okay? I was caught off guard! Anyway, she pushed me against the wall and demanded to know why I had been following her. All afternoon I had rehearsed in my head what I would say to her, but now that I was face to face with her, I had no words. None. I just stood there like a jackass and said absolutely nothing.

It took the threat of a punch in the face to loosen my tongue, and I finally told her my name. I guess she was a little lonely, travelling around with only her grandmother, so she asked me if I'd like to meet her the next day to play. Threatened me to do so, was more like it. Of course I agreed. I felt like the happiest boy on Earth.

"Only problem, was that was my one day of the week to go to town, and since I hadn't sold a stitch of wool, I knew I was in for it. So instead of telling my mother the truth, I hid the wool in a hollow tree and went home crying that some boys in town had stolen my money. Of course she was full of sympathy for me, but I acted all brave and insisted that I would return the next day and get the money back. At first she wouldn't hear of it, but I was determined to do the right thing!"

"Right thing," I scoffed. "She probably would have let you go back if you had just told her the truth."

"Oh, I know she would have, but for some reason, at the time I wasn't sure. And I just _had _to see her again. The dear woman, I think she knew I was lying, otherwise I doubt she would have ever let me go fight for my money. But let me go she did, and I all but ran back to town."

"And did you find her?"

"Sure did. We spent a wonderful afternoon playing in the stream. It was one the happiest, most carefree days of my life. Little did I know that it was the same for her. She had only barely managed to escape the watchful eye of her grandmother, and told me there'd be consequences later. But the poor thing was never allowed to play with other children her age, for reasons she wouldn't say. I guess I've always liked tough girls, though, because her favorite game was play-fighting. I declared that when we were grown, I would find her and marry her. She only laughed and told me I was silly, but I was convinced that I would. That I would find her. Then her granny found us, and dragged her away, but not before she planted a big kiss right on my lips, my very first."

As David finished his tale, I found that I was leaning on the desk, my chin in my hands. "Well? What happened next? There was nothing embarrassing about that story. Did you ever see that little girl again?"

David smiled, his eyes far away. "I did, but not for a very long time. And when I did, I recognized her, she was hard to mistake, but she didn't know me. At that point though, my crush on her was nothing but a memory and I was madly in love with your mom. We became really close friends, though. Still are."

I opened my mouth then closed it again. "Wait…I'm confused. Who was she?"

David cocked an eyebrow. "Really, Em? A little girl with a strict granny who runs around in a bright cloak…I'll give you a hint. Primary color."

"_Red_?!" I exclaimed, head reeling. "Your first love…your first kiss was _Red_?! Ruby?! And Mom doesn't know?!"

"No, and neither does Red. Or at least, if she's connected that boy to me by now, she hasn't said anything."

"I can't believe my ears! Prince Charming kissed Little Red Riding Hood! Those fairytales we're fed as kids are crap, this stuff is so much better!" I let out a gasp and put a hand to my chest in my best Disney Princess imitation. "Red was almost my mommy?!"

David threw an eraser at me. "She was not! We were just little kids! But you can see now why I haven't told Snow. Okay, now you. A story for a story, and remember, when you say that you've never told Snow, Mary Margaret counts you know."

"I got it," I said, waving him off. I needed to give him a pretty good one, or he'd hold it against me. But what could I tell him that I'd never told anyone? Well…there were things…things that no one but me knew…things that I didn't like thinking about. But David's story had been such a happy memory, I didn't want to lose the banter we had going by unloading one of my darkest secrets on him.

"I got it," I repeated, and pulled my feet up under me. I had just the story.

"When I was in third grade, we had a project in school where we had to make a family tree. Well, obviously my family tree was pretty bare, and I was embarrassed. My teacher felt sorry for me, and asked me make a special project. She asked me to write about who I _thought _my family was. Who I imagined them to be, and draw pictures of them. I wish I still had it…but it got lost somewhere down the line. I remember it though. I think I drew you both blonde," I chuckled. "Never would have guessed one of you would have hair as black as night. My teacher expressly told me not to write about why I was given away, or what happened to my parents, but only what I thought they were like.

"I wrote that my dad was a soldier. That he fought to help people, that he would do anything for his family. He fought for what was right, even if it meant sacrifice. I wrote that he was funny, dorky, and gentle. That he never raised his voice in anger," I looked away, staring at a spot in the wall. "He told bad jokes and was really corny, but listened to people and always smiled. He was handsome, kind, and brave. My dad was a hero."

Neither of us spoke for several seconds. "Did you really write that?" he asked.

"Uh huh," I said, still not looking at him. "I really wanted to believe that my dad was like that. Funny thing? I wasn't that far off, huh?"

When I finally looked back up at David, there were tears in his eyes. "Well, I'm definitely dorky and corny…and I certainly would do _anything_ for my family."

"Yeah," I agreed. "And you're a hero. You're…" I ran my hand through my hair, trying to find the words. "I just…as I got older, I worried that maybe my parents were bad people. Like maybe…you know… I came from…"

Amazingly, David seemed to get what I was saying. "From a monster?"

"Yeah. It's just…you can't know what it means to me that you're…oh God I'm no good at this!"

David chuckled. "It's okay, Em. I think I know what you're saying. You're glad I'm not such a bad guy?"

"No, that isn't what I'm saying!" why couldn't I just get the words out? This was so much easier with Snow. "I mean, yes, I'm glad you're not a bad guy. What I mean is…" How could I not make this sound so sappy? I sucked in some air and the rest came out in one breath. "You'reeverythingIeverhopedforina dad…okay?"

David blinked, taking in my rushed sentence. I think maybe he couldn't believe his ears. "I know it's hard for you, Em. I know the situation being what it is, that it's hard to be our daughter. Especially mine. I'm prepared to be whatever you need me to be. A friend, coworker. But I want you to know…I need you to know, that you're _not_ everything I hoped for in a child."

I stared at him. Surely he hadn't just said that what I think he said. "What?" I asked, trying and failing to keep the hurt out of my voice.

There was that smirk again. "Because never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined a daughter as amazing as you. I'm not even sure what I hoped for in a child, because you blew every expectation out of the water. I know I can't take credit for any of that, but it makes me happy either way."

"Aw, I don't know," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "My first moments of life were spent in an epic one-handed sword fight. No other child can claim a beginning as awesome as that one. I definitely think some of my amazing came from that."

David laughed. "It was a really epic fight."

"Will you tell me about it?"

He perked up. "Absolutely."

Just then, the phone rang. David answered and after a dozen uh-huhs, hung up and turned to me with an exasperated sigh. "Looks like our little fugitive has struck again. He's gotten into Granny's freezer and Red says that if we don't go save him, he'll find himself at the wrong end of Granny's crossbow."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, let's go visit your girlfriend."

"Hey now," he said, throwing a straw wrapper at me.

I punched him in the arm. "You can tell me the swordfight story on the way."

"Here, kid."

I turned, half-way through putting on my jacket, eyebrows raised at being called "kid", and found a pair of men's gloves being tossed at me. "What are these for?"

"You forgot yours," he said simply. "Don't want your hands to get cold."

My knee-jerk instinct was to toss them back, I'll worry about my hands thank-you-very-much, but instead I nodded my thanks and put them on. I smiled slightly at the oversized fit.

"Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"One more thing. Look, I know that mushy stuff makes you uncomfortable, and I don't want that…so if you'll let me say this one thing, we'll drop it, okay? You don't have to respond."

I put my arms at my sides and gave him my full attention, but I felt stiff and awkward.

David took a deep breath. "Okay, here goes…after I met your mother, I knew that I would never love a woman as much as I loved her. I barely got the chance to register feeling when you were a baby and I was fighting for your life, but when the curse broke…and I saw you that first time…my first thought was how wrong I was. I do love someone as much as I love Snow," he smiled. "Two people, actually."

I was glad that he didn't expect me to say anything, because I knew if I did I'd probably start to cry, and I wasn't as proficient in that graceful, single tear thing that David was so good at. But I smiled, like a full-on genuine toothy smile, and hoped that I managed to do that eye thing where I said what I wanted him to know without saying it.

"Come on, Gramps, let's go save that damn raccoon."

It wasn't "Dad", but I think using Henry's name for him got my point across, because he lit up, much like Snow had when I had finally opened up to her, and he offered his arm in his most gentlemanly manner.

I took it with a gracious nod. "How charming."

We laughed as he led me out, and I didn't let go all the way to Granny's, even when people stopped in the street just to look at us and grin.


End file.
